Kahn still on the job

Before we praise/bury David Kahn and/or Glen Taylor and/or Flip Saunders, lets be clear on one thing: nothing has been confirmed by anybody. Taylor has been silent; Kahn is acting like he still has a job; Flip ain’t saying one way or another. And while this is all most likely the typical “cannot-confirm-or-deny” waltz as performed by every owner and prospective hire before things become official, better recognize: nothing is official. Indeed, Kahn is seeming rather sanguine about the whole affair. As quoted in the Strib:

It is no different than when we make decisions on players who have options. We wait for the process to unfold. In the meantime, Glen and I have been having conversations about the staff, free agency and other plans…I wake up every day knowing it’s a privilege to have this job, and not a right. Speculation about our jobs is part of this business, especially when you strip the emotion out of it. Speculation is especially understandable now, as we have a deep and talented team, with several cornerstone players, and will be poised for big success once it regains its health.

If this seems oddly low-key for a guy on the precipice, its worth remembering that Kahn has presided over this exact situation before. So he’s no stranger to the Wolves’ allowing an incumbent to twist in the wind for a while as a decision is being made. Wow, the Wolves sure are ungraceful in situations like this. Makes you wonder why anybody would want to work for them in the first place.

No Responsesso far.

As I commented on the previous article, this is so, so Taylor-esque. Shockingly inelegant transition half leaked to the press but not confirmed. Deciding to hire a pal instead of seeking out the best candidate for the job, Total lack of clarity about the coaching situation.

The decision-making and communication processes for the Timberwolves have been consistently awful throughout Taylor’s ownership, and that’s on him.

Yeah, what’s up with that mode of Taylor? Does he not realize that, not only is it awkward, inelegant, and a poor way to treat people, it can also cost him? I remember when it took forever for him to let McHale go, so then we didn’t have a coach until well after the draft. So then we ended up without Curry, with a PG who didn’t fit the new coach’s system (Flynn), and traded away the PG we should have kept (Lawson). A terrible draft that haunts us still. Make the move, Mr Taylor, so everyone can get on with business.

This whole situation screams premature leak followed by an owner with his own timetable. Unfortunately, the cat’s out of the bag. No one wants to be dumped, but they definitely don’t want to hear they’re being dumped from multiple people, get asked about being dumped, have to deny that they’ve been dumped, and then have to wait for it to happen.

One other thing: if Aschburner’s ruminations are true that Taylor might keep Kahn if he can’t come to terms with Flip, that’s an awful environment for everyone involved. Let the guy move on with his life and let the franchise move on with theirs.